Labrador Current Extension 
The current setting southwest along the northeast coast of the 
United States has no designated name and is therefore referred to as 
the Labrador Current Extension in this publication. This coastal 
current originates from part of the Labrador Current flowing clock- 
wise around the southeast tip of Newfoundland. Its speeds are fairly 
constant throughout the year and average about 0.6 knot. The 
greatest seasonal fluctuation appears to be in the width of the 
current as shown in Figure 273 the current is widest during winter 
between Newfoundland and Cape Cod. Southwest of Cape Cod to Cape 
Hatteras the current shows very little seasonal change. 
The current narrows considerably during summer and flows closest. 
to shore in the vicinity of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia and between 
Cape Cod and Long Island in July and August. The current in some 
places encroaches on tidal regions. For example, meter measurements 
at 39.7°N, 72-7°W obtained in April 1960 indicated a prevailing south- 
west set about 100 percent of the time to a depth of 50 feet (Gu meters ); 
speeds ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 knot and averaged O.4 knot. About 215 
observations over a period of 293 hours at a depth of 100 feet (31 meters ) 
showed a rotary tidal current; speeds ranged from O.1 to O.7 knot and 
averaged O.4 knot but did not seem to vary significantly with springs 
and neaps. 
In the widest part of the current east of 7O°W during winter, the 
prevailing direction was west-southwest; about 50 percent of the 
observations showed speeds between O.1 and 0.9 knot, about 4 percent 
between 1.0 and 1.9 knots, and some between 2.0 and 2.5 knots. 
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